Synopsis: Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning…. Welcome to forever.

BRIE’S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn’t love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally.

But now that she’s D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there’s Patrick, Brie’s mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after.

With Patrick’s help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she’s ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?

Review: Before I read this, I have to admit, whilst I knew the reviews were good I did think to myself that perhaps it’s a little to jokey and it would be a lighthearted read. I think that was the biggest misconception of this book that I could have had!

Yes, the book is completely cute. And I absolutely adored the fact that each chapter was the lyrics to a song (so so clever! I was singing the titles!) such as “ooo Heaven is a place on Earth”. But don’t be fooled. This book has many laughs, but some incredibly sad parts to this book as well.

Set up in 6 parts (The first part is before she dies and then each part reflects one of the 5 stages of grief - if you’ve studied psychology you’ll be familiar with these!), I can honestly say I went on a rollercoaster of emotions along side with Brie’s own. The 5 stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, sadness and acceptance. And she really does go through the gauntlet as far as emotions are concerned.

After Brie dies, she finds herself being shown the ropes by a guy named Patrick, who I absolutely adored!! And now that she is D&G (Dead and Gone) she also finds out some hard truths about her family, her ex boyfriend and her best friends that absolutely shock her. I won’t spoil anything, but I will say that the story itself was extremely well written.

There’s an awesome twist in this book too, one that I didn’t see coming but after it happened I was like “OH, I see what you did there!”.. very clever!

There’s not much I can say without spoiling, so I’m going to leave it there. But really sweet, endearing book with a clever and witty storyline. Overall I devoured this book, I read it in two fairly short sittings just because it was really so entertaining (I would have read it all at once had it not been for work! lol). Definitely recommend this one!

Rating: 5 out of 5

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